St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-02
HOW TO READ.
Employing the Leisure Hour to the
Best Advantage.
Boston Transcript.

Boston Transcript.
In my school days it was once my good
fortune to spend week in the summer va
cation at the summer home of school
mate. There was large family of chill
dren, and the mother was cultivated
woman. There were rides, sails on the river,
picncs, mountain tramps. and all pleasant
country diversions, but, whatever was to
be the order Of the day, the hour after
breakfast was always set apart for reading.
We all gathered in the breakfast room, or
on the piazza. and one read aloud while the
others listened. The reading during my
stay was the Lady of the Lake" At the
end of every stanza questions were
asked by the mother concerning what
mad been read. and one or an
other was called on to express the
thoughts OF the stanZa in prose. The large
atlas lay open at the map of Scotland, and
every locality that was mentioned was looked
for. and at the end of the first canto we
were all requested to draw a map of the
course of the chase. To read anything in
that way was a revelation to me. | had
studied English literature at school, as [
had studied geography and grammar,
learning to repeat what was set down in
the book, and that was the end of
it. [ still remember the pleasant drives
in the farm wagon. and the beautiful moon
light evenings on the Merrimac, but more
wildly and more gratefully | recall those
morning readings. They proved to me
most valuable series Of lessons as to how to
read, for never after did / read a book
through rapidly and put it aside, thinking
that knew all about it. The Lady of
the Lake. has been fayorite poem with
me ever since, and whenever l
hear quotation from it or meet
in reading the names of Glenartney, Ben
voirlich, Uam-V ar. or any of the localities
mentioned in it, there rises before my eyes
a vision of the broad piazza, with its charm
ing outlook OF sloping fields and waving
corn, and the happy group that gathered so
eagerly about the atlas at the close of the
morning lesson.
How shall we employ to the best advan-
tage the leisure hour that we can devote
to reading and study? In the first place.
if we can spare but an hour or even
a half hour each day for mental
improvement, let us not give it all to the
daily paper. nor to the new magazine. nor
to the latest novel. A dessert is an
agreeable supplement to the regular substan-
tial meal. but how would the body be nour-
ished on the dessert alone? The newspaper
and magazine are, or should be, the dessert
for the mind. Reading without reflection
is much like constant eating without diges-
ton. The mind becomes overtaXed and
weary, and rejects all, assimilating none A
great deal more can be accomplished by
systematic reading OF study for fifteen
or twenty minutes daily than appears
possible to one who has never tried
it. 1t would suffice to keep up French or
German. and to become conversant with
the best authors. Or little time given
daily to the earnest study of science, and
one might become a skillful botanist or
geologist Or if English literature be more
attractive-as it undoubtedly is to the great
majority-how soon would one become
familiar with Milton or Shakespeare Bacon
or Macaulay if few sentences were read
and considered daily?
Above all things it is important that one
should read Systematically and not be
guided by chance. Have always a good
book, standard work, that will repay
careful study, at hand, and to that
devote part of the time that may
be set apart for reading. Before
opening the book recall as fully as possible
what was read the day before, and on clos
ing it see by reflection how many of the
| thoughts of the author you have made your
own, and SO cultivate memory.